On mentorship
“Mentor” was a character in Homer’s Odyssey. He was an older friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War in The Iliad, he asked Mentor to look after his household and his son, Telemachus. Because it took so long for King Odysseus to get back, the townspeople assumed he was dead, and moved to split up his vast estate. Telemachus, his rightful heir, was too young to defend his property. So, it was up to Mentor to protect their interests. Homer wrote that Venus decided to intervene, she took the form of Mentor and visited Telemachus, helping to guide him on his journey to find his father.
Because of Mentor’s relationship with Telemachus, and the disguised Athena’s encouragement and practical plans for dealing with personal dilemmas, the name Mentor has been adopted in English as a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less-experienced colleague.
Starting a company can be a lonely affair, starting entrepreneurs need a listening ear and many incubators, and tech hubs have programs to match startup founders with experienced veterans. In the traditional mentoring model, the engagement between the mentor and the mentee took place in a physical, face to face environment, but thanks to the internet, mentors can now sit in any part of the globe and make themselves available to mentees who are sitting in Lagos, Kigali, Nairobi, or wherever else.
For young entrepreneurs, finding the right mentor can mean the difference. Great mentors keep an entrepreneur honest, and keep their feet on the ground, but can also take them to heights unimaginable.
An ideal mentor has domain expertise and broad experience in a particular area; makes introductions when appropriate; doesn’t ask for anything in return, and shows empathy.
“At least for me, becoming someone’s mentor means a two-way relationship. A mentorship is a back and forth dialogue — it’s as much about giving as it is about getting. It’s a much higher-level conversation than just teaching. Think about what can we learn together? How much are you going to bring to the relationship?” — Steve Blank.
For founders: For each meeting, go with a specific challenge with sufficient homework, and data collection.
Funding is still scarce in these markets, but mentors shouldn’t be. We need more mentors — tech company founders, corporate executives, and captains of industry who will provide a great sounding board, help make tough calls, and help make introductions to potential customers, partners, or even investors.
The ecosystem will be better off for it.
